Pain
by bluebuff
Summary: Sometimes... promises can't be kept. Sometimes... not everyone can be protected. Sometimes... the pain can become too much to bear.


Just before we start, _italics_ are either Naruto's thoughts, emphasis, or flashbacks. I didn't differ between them, it's honestly not that hard to figure out.

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**Pain **

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Dawn broke over the village of Konohagakure, heralding the arrival of a new day. Sunlight began to shine over the mountains, and streamed into one building in particular. A blond man, slumped over his desk, woke up as the sun's rays brought light into his office.

'_Kami… did I fall asleep at my desk again?'_

He slowly lifted his head off of the previous day's paperwork… something about a lost cat that just didn't want to be found. Thank the gods that he didn't drool like his predecessor… that would've put him in embarrassing situations when…

"Hokage-sama!"

Naruto groaned… that would be his ever-faithful (and relentlessly bossy) assistant, Moegi

She passed through the open doors of his office, flanked by _her _assistants, Konohamaru and Udon, who were both attempting to carry in mountains of papers.

Naruto found out too late that while in the field, Konohamaru would be the leader of Team 4, but during administrative duties, Moegi would take the reins of their team. Though she was a great help in organizing his paperwork, she had the annoying tendency to burst in every time he tried to get some sake on the job.

Naruto glanced at the clock, which told him it was much too early to have to do more paperwork. He let out a sigh, and voiced his thoughts, "Moegi, isn't it a little too early for paperwork?"

"Remember our deal Hokage-sama?" she asked in an overly saccharine voice.

"Sometimes a Hokage needs a certain type of fuel to –"

"Sake is not a fuel, it's an inhibitor! Now, stop complaining and do your work! And if I see you within a meter of another bottle, I'll be extending the ban for another week!"

Naruto started zoning out, not wanting to be reminded of his mistake of letting his assistant catch him indulging a little during the day… He could really use another shot just about now… if only to get his mind off of a pink-haired-

A stabbing pain in his shoulder forced him to wince.

Moegi, ever observant, asked, "Hokage-sama, are you okay?"

Naruto gave her his trademark grin, trying to hide the effects of his brief discomfort, "Sure, just a little kink in my back, nothing to worry about."

She seemed to take the excuse, and added, "And take a shower! You smell worse than Konohamaru!"

"Hey I don't smell that bad!" Konohamaru replied, offended at the comment.

Muttering curses, Naruto shuffled into a connecting bathroom, ignoring his now bickering assistants. The blond stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He turned the faucet, unleashing a torrent of steaming hot water. He was reaching out for the soap…

And, just like clockwork, the pain restarted.

It had become sadistically chronological, coming back to him during his everyday showers.

He had come to expect it, and he prepared for it, but nothing could really alleviate the piercing sensations that were overloading his brain.

His right hand instinctively grabbed at his left shoulder, in a futile attempt to staunch the unbearable pain. It had started as emotional, then psychological, spiritual, and finally, it had manifested itself in so perverse a way that he now bore the brunt of it physically as well.

Naruto gritted his teeth in pain. The wound had reopened, spilling blood onto the tiles of the bathroom floor.

He buckled against the tiled wall, his strength failing rapidly.

Something started to burn in his abdomen, then without warning, he vomited blood, leaving dark red and black streaks across the white tiles.

'_Black blood…'_

Great, his internal organs were in worse shape than he'd thought. He tried to use his medical techniques to reseal the wound, but couldn't focus his chakra due to the pain that assaulted his mind.

There was a foreign force that flared up inside him, which tried to stem the flow of blood, but even that demonic chakra was fighting a losing battle. Naruto chuckled, knowing that at least the Kyuubi would get what was due to him.

He'd been waiting for this to happen everyday for the last eight years, and finally, he knew that the pain would truly end.

Maybe now he'd be able to see her again… to see his pink-haired angel come for him… maybe now he'd-

The first signs of severe blood loss came as his head began to get woozy, his consciousness rapidly beginning to recede into the dark recesses of his mind.

He realized too late that it wasn't his shoulder that he was clutching anymore.

It was his heart.

The last thing he was aware of as his life ended was Konohamaru screaming, "Naruto-niichan!"

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He could almost hear the sound of birds chirping, a beautiful sound, but terrible when heard in the thousands. The electrical energy charged into his foe's katana, surrounding it with white-blue discharges. Then, a second later, he was gone.

Naruto's eyes tracked him, lining up his trajectory in a split second, only to realize that the sword wielding ninja's target was a pink-haired kunoichi, currently distracted by her own battles.

He acted in an instant, and used the one technique he knew that could save Sakura.

"Hiraishin no jutsu!"

He felt his body transport itself to the kunai he'd given to Sakura earlier.

As he reappeared in front of her, he felt his left shoulder get pierced by the chakra-charged sword. Then, to his horror, the blade kept going.

It seemed as if time started slowing down, and Naruto was forced to watch every detail as the katana slipped out of his body, and struck her, right where her heart would be. Immediately, blood started to pool around her shirt, darkening her already red fabric. Her eyes were open in surprise, pools of green uncomprehending.

He heard her shocked gasp, her mouth quiver as blood slowly trailed out of her mouth and down her chin, mingling with the red stain on her chest.

A flurry of emotions crossed her face, from shock, disbelief, pain, and… fear.

Her eyes focused on him, and giving him a wan smile, she coughed out, "Sorry Na-Naruto… I-…I guess I wasn't s-strong eno-enough…"

Naruto couldn't move, couldn't think. He couldn't grasp exactly what was happening before him. It couldn't be happening. No, it was impossible.

Impossible.

He felt removed from the world as the sword was pulled out, the physical pain not even registering in his mind.

He tried to talk to her, tell her it was going to be alright, that it wasn't her fault, that she was the strongest person he knew. He wanted to tell her that she was going to be okay, for his sake as much as hers. He wanted to- no, he _needed_ to tell her.

But nothing came out.

A vicious kick to his side threw him to the side, but he could still see her face, still see her mouth the words, _"Naruto"_ even as her life began to slip away. He tried crawling to her, but another kick sent him sprawling. The last thing he saw was her eyes, devoid of any of her usual fire and determination and…love. They were empty pools of nothing, their sparkling emeralds replaced by a dull green.

He'd promised her that he'd protect her no matter what, that he would always be there. He'd assured her that nothing would happen today, that…

"SAKURA-CHAN!!!"

Naruto felt an emotion gather inside of him, one he hadn't felt since his duel with Orochimaru at the bridge.

Pure, unbridled rage.

All he wanted to do was rip apart the man that stood in front of him. He'd taken the most precious person in his life away from him. Even through his tears, he could see that smirk plastered on his face, his arrogant red eyes taunting him, belittling him, telling him that he couldn't save her, that he was too weak…

The Sharingan wouldn't be enough to keep him alive this time.

Dark red chakra started to coalesce around him, creating the silhouette of a fox. His whisker-like markings on his face darkened, his hands lengthened into sharp claws, and his consciousness retreated into the Kyuubi's cage, where the fox demon consumed him.

His one tail started to divide into two,

Then three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Uchiha Sasuke would die, staring into red, demonic eyes.

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When Naruto regained consciousness, he had found himself staring up at the sterilized white ceilings of Konoha hospital, a month later. They had been delaying the funerals so he could be there to attend.

They never found Sakura's body.

He was told that the battlefield had been utterly obliterated, a huge crater in the middle of Rain Country. Nothing was left.

During that day, when the skies opened up with a torrential downpour, all he could do was stare at the empty coffin, with her picture propped against it. He didn't cry. He had no more tears to shed, and the sky was providing more than enough.

He simply stood there, as Tsunade, who herself was shedding tears of pain and loss, tried to make a speech about the virtues of her best student.

But Naruto couldn't hear anything. He felt removed from everything that was happening around him. His mind was overloading itself, trying to determine exactly how

Maybe if he'd been faster, maybe if he'd been stronger, been better, then maybe she would still be alive. Should he have not taken Sakura with him? Would all of this have been avoided if he had had the courage to beat Sasuke at the Valley of the End? All the possibilities, different things he could've done were ripping at him inside.

But all of them came down to one bleak conclusion.

It was his fault.

His fault.

His fault that there was no body in the coffin.

His fault that he had failed to keep his promises to _her._

His fault that she was dead and he was still alive.

And that was far from the worst of it.

His mind constantly replayed what she had said to him in her final moments.

"_Sorry Na-Naruto… I-…I guess I wasn't s-strong eno-enough…"_

And he hadn't said anything back.

Because of his inaction- his stupidity, she'd died thinking that she was weak. He should've said something… he should've told her all the thoughts that had crossed his mind. He could've at least given her some closure, some form of comfort. But he had been shocked, scared, frightened at what was happening, and couldn't get the words out properly. He wished that he could change it all… that he could go back somehow and tell her… save her.

But it was too late.

Tears began to well up in his tired eyes for the umpteenth time that day. His mind locked in turmoil as he kept asking himself why.

_Why?_

_Why didn't he tell her that he loved her?_

A dull ache blossomed in his left shoulder.

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Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Sake?"

Tsunade gave him a grin. "Sure, why not?"

"Uh… because I'm still too young to drink?"

"Nonsense! You're seventeen! Where's the harm in starting a year early?"

Naruto could think of a couple of reasons, but he kept his mouth shut.

He didn't understand what the Hokage was trying to do. He didn't have time for this. Normally he should be at the cemetery at this time… Oh, so that's what she was trying to do. She was trying to distract him from seeing _her_. Well, he wasn't going to stand for that.

He tried a different tactic.

"But if I start drinking, then Gamabunta is going to have me drink with him, and you know how toads get when they're tipsy!"

But thinking about the frog boss brought up a memory… one that he wasn't particularly fond of anymore.

"_I'll protect Sakura-chan… No matter what!"_

The promise he'd made while fighting Gaara…

A slight sting in his left shoulder made him instinctively grab it with his other hand.

Tsunade, upon noticing this, narrowed her eyes. In a flash she had grabbed him by the collar, pushed him roughly onto the chair in front of her desk, and put the small cup to his lips.

"I'm sick of watching you mope around all the time, Naruto! What happened to the hyperactive, most knuckleheaded, number one ninja at surprising people! Can't you see everyone is worried about you?" Seeing Naruto trying to open his mouth the reply, she continued, "And don't try to say that you're fine, because you're not! I've tried to do everything I could to help, and this is the last straw! I know their deaths hurt a lot, but that's what being a ninja is about! You're bound to lose friends, family, or loved ones, and you can't protect them all the time! It's been a year, and you can't grieve for the rest of your life! Now, you're going to enjoy yourself tonight whether you like it or not!"

Naruto knew that no amount of protest would get him out of this mess. So he decided to play along. Besides, it was just one drink, how much harm could alcohol do?

Twelve hours later, Naruto woke up, groaning at the stabbing pain in his head. He should've known that Tsunade would've gone on a drinking rampage… they had probably drank 20 or more bottles of sake. He had to admit… it had burned going down his throat at first… but then the slight sweet taste and heady sensations that struck him had been immensely pleasing. And for the first time what felt like years, the pain in his shoulder had stopped… or was being canceled out by his hangover.

But the important thing was, the pain had stopped.

For now.

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A year later, Naruto found himself outside of Tsunade's door.

"Come in!" boomed the Hokage's voice.

Naruto walked in. The Hokage's office had changed little over the past year, only the stench of sake was becoming a little too strong to be inconspicuous. But with Naruto's newfound love of the drink, the smell was welcoming, soothing his troubled mind.

Tsunade, who'd figured out who the visitor was, said, "Alright brat, what do you want now?"

"Tsunade-sama."

He could see that his proper use of her name threw her into a loop. Naruto had never called her that… except that one day at the hospital when….

Her face grew grave, and she put away the mission report she had been reading, facing Naruto with her hands clasped on the desk.

"What is it Naruto?"

"I want to learn how to be a medic-nin."

Tsunade's face hardened.

"Naruto, if this is what I think it is…"

"It isn't."

Ignoring his attempted denial, she went on, "Naruto, even medical jutsus can't bring back the dead… any jutsus that might… are inherently evil, and are never to be used. Look, I understand what you're going through… when Nawaki and Dan died, I thought I'd do anything to bring them back. But they never would've wanted me to live in the past, and instead they would've wanted me to live for the future. Sakura was just as important to me as to you-"

"Baa-chan!" he yelled, trying to hide just how much it hurt to hear her name. The situation had called for him to act like his normal self, so he could alleviate Tsunade's fears. "I already know that!"

She eyed him skeptically. "Then why would you want to become a medic-nin?"

He tried to make his gaze as convincing as possible and lied, "Because as future Hokage, I have to have some skill in healing. I can't always rely on others to help, and since I'll be leading this village, I think it'll be useful to be able to look after the villagers in more ways than one." He made one of his trademark grins. "Besides, I won't be a complete medic-nin, I'll just be learning some of their techniques and skills!"

She seemed to consider him, then after an excruciatingly long pause, she said, "Very well. Uzumaki Naruto! With your less than satisfactory chakra control skills, you will have to work twice as hard to become a medic-nin. You will train under me and I won't go easy on you, so no more 'baa-chan' and goofing around during training. Got that?"

"Hai!"

Her eyes softened, "I'm sure you'll make a wonderful Hokage, Naruto."

Naruto could only look down guiltily.

"Now scat! I have some work to do, training will start tomorrow at 9 am sharp!"

And with that Naruto left the Hokage's office, letting out a sigh of relief. Tsunade didn't know just how close she had gotten to guessing Naruto's true intentions of learning the ways of the medic-nin. He'd claimed it had nothing to do with Sakura… in fact, it had everything to do with her. He'd missed her so much that now he was willing to do anything to regain that sense of familiarity he'd had with her. The feel of a healer's chakra, even though it wouldn't be _hers_, would, hopefully, ease the pain he'd been having in his shoulder. He knew it was pathetic, that he was going to such lengths to feel close to _her_… but he couldn't help himself, he had to do something… anything to fill that void in his chest.

He sighed. He was going to need a lot of sake tonight.

The pain only got worse.

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March 28th

It was ironic how the people who planned the event had no idea of how much that date meant to him. They'd simply assumed that it would be a day with decent early spring-time weather, perfect for the Rokudaime Hokage's inauguration ceremony. There had hardly been a cloud in the sky during that week, and the 28th of March was anticipated as one of the most beautiful days of that year.

But then again, of course it was. It had been the day when the most beautiful person in the world had entered the world.

More than 22 years after that day, he was waiting on the roof of the Hokage building, waiting for Tsunade to finish off her speech. She would then introduce him and name him her successor, which would finally fulfill his childhood dream.

But he didn't feel any of the anticipated feelings of euphoria. He would've expected himself to be a nervous wreck with sweaty palms, stuttering like Hinata, tripping over his newly tailored red and white robes while Sakura scolded him for being too childish to stay put…

His robes became uncomfortably restricting. Who was he, to hold a celebration in his honor during the day that she should've been remembered? Wasn't this some form of sacrilege? Achieving his dreams when the woman he'd loved couldn't fulfill hers because of him?

"And I proudly present to you today, your Rokudaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto!" Tsunade's voice rang in the air.

As Naruto stepped to the edge of the roof, he was greeted by the cheers of the villagers.

He had finally gained the respect he had desired ever since he was a little boy. Everything he had worked for, his entire life came to fruition when the people finally realized that he wasn't a demon, but a person, just like them. He could see the admiration and awe in their eyes, their respect at who he was.

But that was no longer what he was. He wasn't strong enough to protect them. He couldn't even protect his brother from the darkness within him, nor was he able to protect _her_. How could he have possibly thought that he had the strength to protect an entire village when he couldn't even protect the two people who he cared about the most? He was a failure, someone who didn't deserve what he had received… the guilt clawed away inside him, mimicking the Kyuubi in its desperate attempts at escape.

As the cheers grew louder, the pain grew steadily worse.

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"Nice office."

"Yeah, the lack of sand kinda makes it look neater, doesn't it?"

The Kazekage snorted into his tea. "Even without sand, your office is still a complete pigsty.

The Hokage pouted, making a face ill-befitting of a village leader. "Awww, c'mon Gaara, seriously, it isn't that bad…"

The office in question was indeed a complete mess. The desk was cluttered with paperwork, still piled up in mounds, with writing utensils scattered haphazardly between the mountains of paper. Some of the work was dated up to a couple days ago, and were in dire need of attention. The bookshelves, which should've been gathering dust, due to the current Hokage's attitude towards libraries, was strewn with books and scrolls that had been hastily put away, leaving a couple tomes precariously balanced on the edge. There were even papers and files lying on the carpeted floor, which forced any visitors to tread carefully, should they accidentally commit the faux pas of tripping.

But throughout all the clutter, there was one part of the office that was kept perfectly clean. Three picture frames stood in an untouched area on the Hokage's desk.

One was an old picture, which showed the first Team 7. Though it was a bit worse for wear, it had been taken care of meticulously, and anyone could still clearly see Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura smiling/grimacing for the camera.

The second picture was one of the new Team 7, after their team's first mission into Grass Country. Naruto and Sakura were both glaring at a smiling Sai, who had obviously managed to annoy his two teammates with another insensitive comment. In the background, Yamato was nervously scratching his head, as if he didn't want to stick around for whatever would happen next.

The final picture was placed behind the other two. It had been taken accidentally by Konohamaru, who had been playing around with his newly bought camera. It showed a scene at Ichiraku's with Naruto and Sakura being the only customers. Sakura was feeding ramen to Naruto, her chopsticks staying out of reach as she lightly teased him. Though the picture only showed their backs, their heads were turned, and Sakura was smiling tenderly while Naruto was struggling to reach the noodles with just his mouth. It was a moment in time, captured just for the two of them.

Looking at the picture, Naruto remembered that day, it had been three hours of glorious peace. Just the two of them, without having to worry about missions or crazy missing-nin…

Naruto winced. His shoulder was acting up again. He planned on going to the hospital to get it checked, but the presence of a negotiation team from Iwagakure had demanded his continuous presence in the Hokage tower for the past two weeks.

Gaara seated himself on the couch, and fixed him with an angry glare. Naruto let out a mental sigh. It was time for his lecture to start.

"Naruto, we have to talk."

He knew what Gaara would want to talk to him about. "If this is about the peace summit between us and Iwa, I already know-"

"No, you don't."

"Damn it, Gaara! We already had this conversation!"

"And you obviously weren't listening back then either."

"I said I'd be more careful from now on, and I was! It seriously wasn't my fault that bastard pulled that stunt on me!"

The Kazekage's face remained impassive. "Just because the Tsuchikage mentioned Haruno Sakura's name doesn't give you the right to punch him."

"He was mocking her!"

"That's Iwa-Konoha diplomacy! You lie behind the other's back about peace and try to get your opponent to trip up. All they need is one little thing and they can create an international incident. There are no rules, no guidelines. You can be as underhanded you want, all you have to do is do something that'll give you the excuse to wage war! And unfortunately for us, you just gave them the perfect opening!" Naruto could see Gaara was having a hard time controlling himself. He was obviously a lot more annoyed with him than he thought.

"Look I'm sorry, alright, but-"

Gaara cut him off, "I'm sorry too Naruto, but a Kage has to put aside any personal issues during negotiations with other hidden villages. By letting your feelings get in the way, you're risking a conflict between your village and another. If your loss of control today ends up starting a war between Iwa and Konoha, it'll be on your hands."

'_Yeah, there seems to be a lot of things that are my fault these days.' _Naruto thought bitterly.

He remembered every word the Tsuchikage had said to him earlier that day.

"_Ah… Hokage-dono, how good to see you, tell me, whatever became of Haruno Sakura-san? I had heard that she was a medic to rival the Godaime herself! I've been eager to meet her, but I haven't seen her around. I would've expected someone of such skill to be with the negotiation party. Rumors of her supposed death have been circulating in Iwa, but I'm sure you could put them to rest."_

The smug bastard's eyes were glittering maliciously throughout the entire conversation. Naruto had managed to suppress his anger for a scant couple of seconds before he had lashed out, growling and glaring with his red eyes.

Which was why the two of them were now seated in his office, while the Iwa negotiation party was resting a couple kilometers away at a hot spring resort. Gaara had called for a recess so everyone could cool off their tempers.

Naruto smiled upon remembering how Gaara had acted as the mediator between him and the Tsuchikage, remaining neutral throughout the entire confrontation. Who would've thought that the kid who had believed killing defined his existence would become such a talented negotiator?

The Kazekage pulled Naruto out of his thoughts, "Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"You may have everyone else fooled, but not me."

"How so?"

"You haven't gotten over Sakura-san's death yet."

"…"

"And that's why you're not suited to be a leader."

Before Gaara could go on, Naruto interrupted. "Gaara… I know I'm not living up to my duties as Hokage… but don't worry, you'll probably be seeing a new one soon enough."

"You're going to retire?"

The blond grinned, "Yeah, you could say that."

And with that, their discussion was over. Gaara had understood what Naruto had been trying to say, and it probably pained him to know that his friend was now emotionally broken and… dying.

"Hey Gaara, you're a great Kazekage, y'know that?"

The redhead looked surprised at Naruto's seemingly inane statement, but then smiled, and replied, "You would've been a great Hokage as well, Naruto."

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"Konohamaru, concentrate!"

"I'm trying nii-chan, I'm trying!"

"Not fast enough!"

"Ahhhh!" Konohamaru let out a scream as he was flung back by the force of Naruto's punch. He skidded along the rough soil of training field number 27, finally slowing to a stop near the tree line.

He got up, rubbing his newly bruised stomach and glared at his teacher. "You could've killed me with that!"

Naruto yawned, and answered lazily, "Oh, stop whining, I only hit you with a fraction of my power." He leaned against his own tree and took out a purple book titled, _Icha Icha Adventures_. Though he only read it in his free time so he could proof-read his sensei's work… in truth it was completely boring. None of the women portrayed really caught his interest, and they never would… only someone with pink hair might…

His student wasn't going to let him off the hook however. Konohamaru interrupted his day-dream, "Seriously, nii-chan, ever since you got that crazy blond lady's insane strength your punches have gotten too hard."

Naruto gave him his trademark fox-like grin. "And you've gotten too soft ever since you became jounin. You're gonna have to do better than that if you even want to consider becoming Hokage."

Konohamaru's face seemed to fall at that. "But I'm not going to be Hokage."

"Why's that?" Naruto frowned. Why did it seem as if his student was giving up?

"Because… nii-chan, you're the Hokage, and you're just 23 now… " Konohamaru turned his head, letting his words hang in the air.

Naruto smiled. Konohamaru tended to keep his insecurities to himself, but the fact that he was discussing one with him showed just how much the kid he knew had grown up. He wasn't scared to talk about sensitive issues with him anymore.

"Konohamaru… don't worry! You'll be Hokage before you know it! You know, I can always retire … or we could be joint Hokages!"

Konohamaru looked up, smiling, the light in his eyes were back. He opened his mouth to retort, probably about how ridiculous his statements were, since he was obviously a little too young to retire, but the arrival of a certain white/grey haired ninja stopped him.

The newly arrived jounin scratched his head apologetically, "Sorry I'm late, but I got lost on the road of-"

Konohamaru cut him off. "Kakashi-sensei! You're late!"

Naruto let out a sigh. Konohamaru hadn't quite gotten used to Kakashi's tardiness, and tended to berate him about it everyday. He didn't have the heart to tell him that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never get his other teacher to be on time.

Kakashi waved off the accusation and asked, "So, Konohamaru, have you been practicing the Goukakyuu jutsu?"

The younger jounin nodded. "But I don't get why Naruto nii-chan couldn't teach me that jutsu from the beginning! Then we wouldn't have to wait three hours everyday for you to show up."

Naruto mentally smacked his forehead. For the umpteenth time that day, he wondered if he'd chosen his successor properly. "For the last time, it's because Kakashi is way better suited at teaching fire-based techniques, plus, he knows more jutsu than I do."

Kakashi closed his own copy of the newest _Icha Icha_ and looked expectantly at his brown-haired student. "Now Konohamaru, it's only been a week since you were taught this, so I'm not expecting any miracles yet… but I want to see how well you use it in battle against Naruto."

Naruto noticed that Konohamaru was now sporting a grin, the same one that he had seen every time before he unveiled a new prank or practical joke. He knew Kakashi was going to get more than he expected.

"Ready! Go!"

Konohamaru brought his hand up to his mouth and let out a confident yell,

"Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

Naruto couldn't help but feel proud as he watched the Sandaime's grandson unleash not one, but two enormous fireballs at him, which began to spinning around the other, creating a huge fiery twister. He quickly jumped out of the way, and in the corner of his vision, he could see a wide-eyed Kakashi lift his hitae-te, using his Sharingan to analyze Konohamaru's technique.

_You'll do just fine… Nanadaime Hokage-sama._

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Dreams.

They're instrumental to human society.

They're an impetus that drives those who strive to achieve something… more.

They motivate people, give them hope, and allow them to believe… that truly anything is possible.

Uzumaki Naruto once had his dreams.

To be Hokage, to gain acknowledgement from the people of Konoha, to win the heart of the love of his life.

And he'd fulfilled all of them.

Except fate had dealt him a cruel blow, ripping her away from him.

"Sakura-chan…"

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**Many thanks to ValkyrieWarrior, whose thoughts and support really helped in the development of this story. I'd give her a hug or something… but she sorta lives too far away for me to do that.**

**Pre-fic completion A/N: **I was sitting in my room, and this came out of nowhere and hit me in the face. Thus, in a blaze of inspirational glory, I set out to write this fic, just to add my own contribution to the world of Naruto fandom

Ok, that's a lie. Various works had a similar plotline, and I just built on them, creating my own version. True, I've stolen a couple ideas from someone else, but as my TOK teacher says, there's no such thing as a truly original thought. Everything you come up with is influenced by prior experience. This idea was derived from Doc Destructo's _A Beautiful Day_, and further influenced by Nes Mikel's _Garden of Sanctuary _series. If you haven't already I suggest you take a look, because they will be two of the best fics you will ever read.

Just don't get the wrong idea, a lot of these ideas are still original, it's just that influence can't really be completely quashed.

**Post-fic completion A/N: **I don't know why I write so many notes… maybe it's because I'd rather leave a personal note for all those who took time out of their busy schedules to read this. In hindsight, I see some parts that I'm not entirely happy with… and it turns out his fic has taken on drabble-like quality rather than remaining an event/dialogue based story. There are details that don't quite match up and character interactions that may seem out of place, but I'm not that devoted to detail (I know, it's important for writers), but the one flaw of this story was the fact that I didn't proceed through it from start to finish, but I jumped around a lot… the scene with Tsunade and the whole medic thing was actually the first scene I wrote, so it looks like I didn't connect everything very well… anyway… Oh, and I know, scene 2 isn't quite that good, but the focus wasn't on the fight, or on the Hiraishin… it was about Sakura dying… so I sorta neglected the beginning… yeah, yeah, flame me all you want…

This is getting too long-winded, so…

Oh yeah,

**Disclaimer: **Kishimoto-dono and I have agreed to a compromise, he gets all rights to Naruto, I get a secret check of $2.53 every week. But with tax, it dwindles down to a measly 45 cents… or something like that.

**Side-note (this is the last one… seriously)**: Concerning Japanese words… I'm not sure if any of them are right, I just wrote what I thought was right (with references to other fics and the manga), but if anyone sees something wrong, feel free to notify me, and I'll fix it.


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